For the sake of ten I will not destroy it

Ask anyone in the mental health field what the primary characteristic is of an emotionally mature person is and he or she will tell you: “It is someone who can take responsibility for their own actions.”

Not surprisingly, our official national blow-hard misogynist bigot, Rush Limbaugh, is telling his loyal listeners that the Trayvon Martin case is a manufactured story intended to promote the liberal agenda. Why would Rush feel the need to say that this travesty has been “manufactured” by the left and the media to promote the liberal agenda? Because the Trayvon Martin case calls attention to numerous policy and cultural failings of the political right:

It highlights the fact that racism is alive and well in this country

Numerous laws in many states exist for the sole purpose of allowing all those mature cowboys out there the right to carry concealed weapons

“Stand your ground” laws in Florida and many other states provide gun-toting cowboys and vigilantes the perfect refuge to shoot people they don’t like if they “feel threatened”

Gun toting bigots and vigilantes give lip service to obeying laws and the authority of the police but in truth, prefer to shoot first and rationalize their dangerous, irresponsible behavior later

One of the standard practices of Limbaugh and other right-wing zealots is to project onto the left the very unscrupulous strategies they themselves employ to serve their political agenda. So no, there was nothing racial at all about this incident because as we all know, if Trayvon Martin’s murderer, George Zimmerman had had an Hispanic name, no one would pay attention to the incident. It’s only instances where it appears to be white people brutalizing black people that anyone pays any attention.

“Can you imagine how this case would be different if George Zimmerman were simply called Jorge Zimmerman,” asked Limbaugh. “If he had kept – I think his mother’s maiden name is Hispanic – if he hadn’t taken his father’s name. If he were Jorge Gutierez can you imagine what a different story we’d have? The left wouldn’t care. The only way they can make this a story is to make this guy out to be white. And the New York Times did.”

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The Guy Behind the Tent of Abraham

Mitch Gilbert is a social worker, writer, and religious educator. A native of Brooklyn, New York, he has done community development work in Washington DC, Cleveland, Akron, Vancouver, San Francisco, and Las Vegas. Mitch earned a BA at Brooklyn College (CUNY), a Master of Science in Social Administration degree from Case Western Reserve University. In addition, Mitch has done graduate studies in Jewish tradition, history, and culture at New York University and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. Mitch is actively involved with in progressive causes and organizations that advance human rights, protect animals and save the environment. He currently resides in Columbus, Ohio.